


Odds-on

by zeest



Category: Samurai Warriors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Corporate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-05
Updated: 2012-10-05
Packaged: 2017-11-15 16:55:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/529484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeest/pseuds/zeest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one knows just exactly what the Tachibana are to each other. Mitsunari tries to find out.</p><p>(There are no outright pairing scenes in this fic but it hints at Sakon/Mitsunari and Ginchiyo/Muneshige.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Odds-on

**Author's Note:**

> Credit for this corporate AU goes to [silverlined](http://archiveofourown.org/users/silverlined/pseuds/silverlined).

There was a betting pool going around in the office concerning what exactly were the Tachibana to each other.

The most popular bet was ‘engaged’. It was romantic, and a good portion of the bettors sighed wistfully as they watched the deliveryman place a bouquet of flowers on Ginchiyo’s desk. They make such a good-looking couple, they said, and no one has ever seen them date anyone else though neither of the Tachibana lacked admirers.

‘Siblings’, another group insisted, citing their common family name and claiming that they could see physical resemblance between the two. The way they acted around each other spoke of a bond going further back and running deeper than an engagement typically would be, and besides, no rings. No consistently worn and matching rings anyway. As for why no one knew of their dating history, the Tachibana were simply very private people. And no one had ever dared pry deeper because they were also rather terrifying.

‘Childhood friends’ was another popular bet. 'Adopted siblings’ counted separately from ‘siblings’, and was likely inspired by the fact that the Toyotomi Corporation was effectively ran by Chairman Hideyoshi’s three adopted sons. ‘Cousins’, ‘husband and wife’, ‘dating but not engaged’, ‘best friends’, ‘nothing’ were also options, as well as a number of more sordid guesses.

 

“A pointless game,” Mitsunari said when Sakon brought it up one day over a late night dinner, a few weeks after he had joined the firm as Mitsunari’s consultant. The betting pool had been going on for as long as the Tachibana had been working with the Toyotomi Corporation, which was to say, far longer than most of the bettors had. “Don’t tell me you made a bet too.”

Sakon put on his best ‘Who, me?’ face and filled both their cups with more tea. “It’s wonderful when your employees have something that brings them closer, isn’t it? A continuous team building exercise initiated and maintained by the staff themselves.”

“It’s just office gossip,” Mitsunari said, unimpressed. “Obviously, I need to reassess your job scope if you have that much free time.”

“Gossip is the oil on the cogwheels of workplace relations,” Sakon said serenely. “We can’t all be isolated islands. Personally, I work better when I know my colleagues well,” he added with a smile that was all too innocent. 

Mitsunari decided that it would be beneath his dignity to kick Sakon under the table. “Your life is not worth whatever amount your bet was if Ginchiyo finds out.”

“Does she object to it that much?”

“Actually… no,” Mitsunari said thoughtfully around a mouthful of food. “She threw a fit when she first found out but I think the two of them like messing up the balance now.”

“Then there’s no harm to it,” Sakon said cheerfully. “So what is your bet?”

“I would never-“ Mitsunari spluttered.

Sakon thought it sounded an awful lot like ‘She would kill me’. “Shame,” he remarked. “But I guess there’s no fun in it for you since you’ve known them far longer than any of us. It would probably spoil the game if anyone were to know your bet.”

“Trying to get an insider tip?” Mitsunari asked sceptically even as it occurred to him that he wasn’t actually any closer to the answer than anyone in the office. Which was a little galling to admit. He had known the Tachibana pair for years and Mitsunari liked to think that his social skills weren’t that bad, regardless of what Kiyomasa and Masanori had told him. But neither of the Tachibana had ever given a straight answer back in the early days of their acquaintance and it was just so natural for them to come in a pair now that he had never thought to question it anymore.

 

So he took the opportunity presented by a meeting that ended late to invite Ginchiyo out for drinks. It wasn’t a strange thing for him to do, given that Ginchiyo had worked with him as his assistant for years and, though neither of them would ever admit it, they shared a remarkably similar outlook on life. Muneshige worked with Kiyomasa at another office across the sprawling city, a working relationship that Mitsunari gathered was generally well and stable despite Kiyomasa’s occasional grumbles about Muneshige’s charms being bad for productivity.

“So,” Mitsunari began, after the both of them had their turn denouncing the incompetents messing up their latest project. He stirred his drink as he mentally fumbled for an opening and settled on the first line he could think of. “Weekend’s coming up. Got any plans?”

Ginchiyo gave him a quizzical look over her own glass. “It’s only Wednesday. And you never ask that. Weekends don’t even exist in your calendar.”

“Of course they do,” Mitsunari said, affronted. Then, because he could not stop poking at a problem once it was on his mind and he was nothing if not painfully blunt, “I guess you’ll be hanging out with Muneshige? You two are really close.”

“You’re hiding something,” Ginchiyo said, eyes narrowed. “Out with it.”

“I’m not!” Mitsunari insisted. “I’m just curio- _concerned_ since we’re… friends?” He hid his discomfort by taking a deep gulp of his drink and immediately regretted it as the alcohol buzz hit his head. At least Ginchiyo had the grace not to laugh in his face although the scathing look she gave him could burn through flesh and probably would have if his world hadn’t gone just a little bit hazy then.

“You can call us friends if you like but you needn’t _concern_ yourself with my personal life, Ishida Mitsunari,” Ginchiyo said coolly.

Mitsunari noted with disgust that her face wasn’t even the slightest bit red even though he was sure that she had drank more than him. “It’s a stupid question anyway,” he muttered.

“It’s about that office betting pool, isn’t it?” Ginchiyo asked. She leaned closer, a teasing smile on her face. “That’s old news. Perhaps it might interest you to know that a second betting pool just started.”

“Another one?” Mitsunari asked warily as he lifted his drink to his lips again, making sure to sip it this time. “Who’s the lucky couple?”

“Our fearsome boss and his newly-hired consultant,” Ginchiyo said with a wicked little smile, and handed Mitsunari a serviette to wipe up his drink now decorating the countertop in artful spatters. 

“I’m his boss!” Mitsunari said indignantly.

“That’s one of the questions open for betting, actually. Who’s the real boss in-”

“Sakon works for me,” Mitsunari interrupted with a glower. The effect was ruined by a hiccup.

“You recruited him in a shady bar. People will talk. And they’re talking about how you were frequenting that bar a long time before he joined us,” Ginchiyo said archly.

“They’re fired. They’re all fired. You’re fired too, you’re enjoying this too much.” Mitsunari slapped his hand down on the counter wrathfully. The bartender obligingly put a new drink in front of him.

“Touchy, aren’t you? It’s pretty obvious that he likes you. Do you like him?”

“What are you, five?” 

“That’s not a denial.”

“You’re all fired,” Mitsunari reiterated feelingly.

 

An hour later, Kiyomasa ducked through the door and made a beeline for the bar where Mitsunari was slumped over the counter, unmoving.

“Muneshige just took the rest of the week off and the only thing I could get out of him was ‘last-minute plans, changing like the wind’,” Kiyomasa said to Ginchiyo over Mitsunari’s prone body. “Do I want to know?”

“I’ve been fired,” Ginchiyo said. “He thinks I need company.”

“Ah. Again.” Then, because Kiyomasa can never be sure when the Tachibana were serious or pulling his leg, and because none of Mitsunari’s assistants had lasted more than a week before Ginchiyo took the job, he asked a little anxiously, “You’ll be back next week, right?”

Ginchiyo waved his concerns off. “It’s a quiet period now. Mitsunari can handle things on his own for a while. And I’m sure his new consultant will be all too willing to help.”

Kiyomasa was quite sure there wasn’t any jealousy in Ginchiyo’s voice and she hadn’t actually answered his question, but at least she sounded more amused than angry. “I see. Enjoy your holiday.” He shook Mitsunari’s shoulder gently. “Hey, get up. Or do you want to sleep here all night?”

Mitsunari raised his head and glared vaguely at Kiyomasa’s direction. “Wha’ are you doing here? You’re _fiiiiired_.”

“Yes, yes.” Kiyomasa offered his hand to a grudging Mitsunari, helping him rise unsteadily to his feet. “Don’t drink so much when you know you can’t handle it, idiot.”

“Wasn’ meant t’ go like this,” Mitsunari mumbled sulkily. “They’re _allllll_ fired.”

They left the bar just as Muneshige went in, and he greeted them with laughing eyes and a cheerful wave. Thus, they didn’t see Muneshige give Ginchiyo a look which would have shifted a good portion of the ‘siblings’ bets to ‘dating’, nor hear her low whisper to him when he sat down beside her.

“Definitely something there. How much do you want to bet?”


End file.
